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Wednesday, August 12, 2015

You know the Pacific Ocean is calm when...


...you see a Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) fishing in the surf zone! 

Here's a slightly closer view of the hovering kingfisher (below).  Can you tell if this is a male or female?  (Click on the photo for a larger version.)


Females and males can be told apart by their pectoral bands.  Males have one slate blue band across their chest, while females have two: one slate blue band and one rufous band (as well as rufous sides).  

She picked a nice day to explore the outer coast! 

 



Two different views of the unusually calm ocean on 12 August 2015:



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